


New Dream

by DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Just a warning for blood and injuries but its nothing too bad, Like guys it gets super cute i swear, Rated Teen more for safety than anything, Rayllum, This ended up REALLY long but i hope you guys enjoy!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 08:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18007070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon/pseuds/DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon
Summary: Callum raced through the trees nearly as fast as his thoughts did through his own mind. How had it come to this? Things had been so peaceful only hours ago as they wandered through the marketplace, laughing and joking, taking in the sights. It had felt so safe, no one had been any the wiser to his guise. And then his hood had snagged on a wooden beam and…One thought kept coming back to him over and over. ‘This is all my fault.’





	New Dream

Callum raced through the trees nearly as fast as his thoughts did through his own mind. How had it come to this? Things had been so peaceful only hours ago as they wandered through the marketplace, laughing and joking, taking in the sights. It had felt so safe, no one had been any the wiser to his guise. And then his hood had snagged on a wooden beam and…

One thought kept coming back to him over and over. ‘ _This is all my fault_.’

He could hear Rayla from behind him, yelling over the rainfall. “Callum, whatever you do, don’t stop running!” The baby dragon in his arms buried his face into Callum’s shoulder whimpering in distress.

The feeling was mutual.

They were far from the walls of the town but he could still hear the shouts of elven soldiers distantly behind them. His lungs burned, but if he stopped to catch his breath it would be a death sentence. For now, humans were seen as enemies of Xadia. That wouldn’t change, not yet.

Thunder cracked overhead startling the young prince from his thoughts; he nearly lost his footing on the wet grass as his ankle slipped beneath him. Rayla was catching up and he felt her hand on his back, steadying him.

She hissed through gritted teeth. On their way out of the city she had scuffled with the guards to give Zym and Callum a head start, leaving her with a few scrapes, and the guards with a new vendetta against his elf companion. She was clearly in some level of pain but adrenaline kept the pair of them moving.

They _had_ to keep moving. To stop would mean certain death-

Suddenly he was lurched to a stop by her hand grabbing his jacket and yanking him backwards. The pair skidded to a halt. Rayla had seen it before he had, as the trees began to thin, they found themselves precariously at the edge of a steep hill.

Callum peered back anxiously. He could still hear something, someone approaching. Then he saw him. The other guards had seemingly abandoned the chase but one guard remained, fury in his amber eyes, teeth clenched. The rain was evaporating off his dazzling golden armour, sizzling as it came into contact with him. A Sunfire elf. The captain of the guard, who Callum had seen Rayla kick in the face as the pair attempted to flee the settlement. He was chasing on foot but at a surprising speed given the full plate armour he was wearing.

Clearly, he was not best pleased about Rayla’s act of boldness. He was out for blood and he was going to get it.

Callum turned to the panting Moonshadow elf at his side. Though she attempted to hide it, he could see the anxiety forming in her eyes as she too took note of their situation. “Rayla, What do we do?”

 She didn’t answer. Her eyes focused on the guard. He was approaching rapidly, he would be on top of them in seconds-

Finally Rayla’s eyes met his own, and he felt her place a hand gently between his shirt and the baby dragon trembling in his arms. Her hand lingered there, over his heart. He felt his cheeks warm slightly despite the stinging cold of the rain.

“Callum?”

 “Y-Yeah?”

“…I’m so sorry.”

His eyes questioned her, but before he could utter another word, the hand on his chest forcibly shoved him backwards, tumbling down the slope. For a moment it seemed as though the world fell away from him in slow motion. His eyes never left hers for the few precious moments he could see them. Sad. Apologetic. Goodbye.

Then as she left his field of vision, he realised with a sickening awareness that Rayla wasn’t intending on surviving this encounter. His head collided with a painful smack against the sodden ground and his body somersaulted over the top of him, as he tumbled painfully down the hill. Several rocks jabbed into his side and back, thorny plants lashing out as he approached the bottom, and he desperately hugged Zym close to his chest, trying to protect him as best he could, until they landed unceremoniously in a heap, their descent finally ended by landing in a bush.

He lay stunned for a moment, the world still spinning. Then he could hear the distant clanging of metal against metal above him. _Rayla._

He struggled to right himself, wincing in pain as more twigs and branches clung to his jacket. Zym whined again, digging his claws into Callum’s chest and shoulder as he clung to him desperately.

His heart lurched. He couldn’t go back up there. Even if he could climb the slick slope back up, he had to protect the dragon prince in his arms. He had to stay hidden. Rayla would be okay. She was always okay. She’d find a way…

His body tensed and he found himself unable to get his muscles to move. He was shivering. From the cold, or anticipation, he couldn’t tell. But his eyes never left the top of the hill where he had last seen Rayla. Where was she? He could still hear the clashing of swords, and prayed to whoever might be listening that she was winning. 

It felt like a lifetime before he saw her again. But it wasn’t in the way he had wanted to.

Rayla’s broken body supported herself on one of her blades, trembling, clutching at her side. She was barely standing, her knees quaking. Callum’s breath hitched in his throat. She was hurt, but it seemed as though she had won. Then despair washed over him like a wave pulling him under the water.

The captain of the guard strolled idly into his view, and grabbed the weak Rayla by the scruff of her shirt, lifting her off the ground. She went limp in his grasp. He held her like that for a moment, seemingly gloating in his victory, before tossing the defeated Moonshadow elf off the edge of the slope.

Callum screamed out. Thunder roared overhead once more. He wasn’t sure what he had yelled, if he called out her name, or a horrified ‘ _No!_ ’, or just a pained cry of anguish. But he could only watch as Rayla’s broken figure crashed down the slope. The guard watched until she rolled to a stop, unmoving at the foot of the hill only metres away from his own hidden body. Then slowly the guard captain turned on his heel, and disappeared from sight.

 

\---

 

_‘This is all my fault.’_ That voice in Callum’s mind echoed once more.

He ripped himself free of the bush, ignoring branches tugging him back until he was sprinting as fast as his own aching body would let him towards Rayla.

“Rayla!” He slipped, colliding with the ground, but he didn’t stop, clambering up and half crawling the rest of the distance to her side.

“Don’t be dead. Oh please. Please, _please_ don’t be dead…” His heart lurched at the idea. No. Not like this. Please.

Zym had peeled himself from Callum to run desperately to her side as well, chirping in alarm. Rayla wasn’t moving, her back to the boy. His breath shuddered, as he raised a trembling hand to her shoulder. “R-Rayla…?”

He gently turned her over onto her back. Her eyes were closed. She almost looked peaceful, and if he hadn’t known any better he could have mistaken her for being asleep. If it wasn’t for the blood trickling down her cheek mixing with the rain water, or the scrapes, and the cuts, and… oh no.

 Callum ripped his gaze from the red staining the grass at Rayla’s side, and swallowed hard. He placed a hand gently on her neck trying to find a pulse. “Please Rayla, you have to stay with me-”

Suddenly Rayla let out a sharp broken gasp of breath and her face scrunched up in pain. Her arm jerked up and her hand found Callum’s shirt, gripping it tightly in her fist. Callum jumped back in alarm, but felt a pang of relief in his heart. She was alive. She was still with him.

She took a moment, opened her eyes a crack to look at his face, and her face relaxed a little when her eyes met his. “You’re okay.” She whispered.

His single word reply caught in his throat and he had to force himself to let it out. “Yeah.”

She shuffled slightly, pulling on Callums shirt to try and help lift herself off the ground, and in a panic, Callum wrapped his arm around her shoulders to try and support her.

“W-We need to move-”

“Rayla, slow down- You’re pretty badly hurt-”

“I’ll be fine just… Just… Just help me walk for a moment. We’re too exposed out here, we need to get out of the open.”

He knew she was right. But that didn’t ease the feeling of dread forming in his stomach.

“Okay… Okay.” With some difficulty, and encouragement from Zym, Callum managed to lift Rayla to her feet, her arm around his shoulder and his hand on her waist, tentatively avoiding the deep gash that was bleeding there. He could hear Rayla biting back the cries of agony every time she moved. His heart ached for her desperately, and he wished there was some way he could take away all of her pain. 

The rain was pouring heavier now. They were only walking for about 10 minutes when he felt Rayla’s legs beginning to give out.

The adrenaline was wearing off, and he could feel his own legs throbbing from overexertion. Hopelessness began creeping in. What was he doing? Where were they going? Rayla needed medical help desperately but here they were, with no idea where they were or where any settlements were. And even if they did find one, they would surely kill him the second they spotted the human.

It certainly felt like Xadians attacked first and asked questions later. He bit back the terror rising in his chest. If it came to that, he would face it. Even if they killed him. As long as they helped Rayla…

As that thought crossed his mind he felt Rayla’s head loll onto his shoulder and her feet drag in the mud. Her arm was slipping from his shoulder

“Rayla?”

No response.

“R-Rayla?!”

There was a weak noise of acknowledgement from the girl, but she had stopped walking completely now.

“Rayla c’mon you gotta work with me here, please, we’re gonna get you some help a-and…” He trailed off. Could she even hear him anymore?

 “Callum.” She inhaled sharply, shuddering as she turned to look him in the face. His heart skipped a beat. He could practically see the life draining from her eyes.  “I’m not going to make it.” 

“N-No, don’t talk like that. We just need to keep going, we’ll get to a town and-“

“They’ll kill you.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” His voice was firm. “Rayla, I am not going to let you die here. I don’t care _what_ they do to me. We’re… W-We’re going to get you patched up, and, you know what, we’re both going to be okay, we’ll find a way. We always do. We’re going to carry on this journey together.” The words tumbled out of his mouth without him thinking. “Because I can’t…. I don’t want to do this without you Rayla. So please… Please don’t die.”

There was no response again. He felt her hand going slack on his shoulder and her knees buckling.

“Ray-” She nearly slipped from his grip, but he swivelled her around and fell to his knees to break her fall, cradling her in his arms.

_No._

 Her eyelids were fluttering in a desperate bid to stay awake.

_Please no._

Callum tugged her closer to him so her head rested gently against his chest. She looked even paler, sickly so, her eyes dark. He laced his fingers through her fringe brushing her hair gently from where it was sticking to her face. As he did so she leaned into his touch.

Hot tears began to sting at Callum’s eyes as reality dawned on him. He choked back a sob, but it was useless, as more welled up in his throat and soon enough tears were streaming down his cheeks.

He gently pressed Rayla’s hand against her side desperate to try and stem the bleeding. To try and hold onto her for however long he could. But he could feel the blood trickling through both his and her fingers.

Zym whined pressing his head into Rayla’s shoulder, urging her to get up. But it was in vain. All of this had been in vain.

“Callum… do you remember. Last week… When you asked me what my dream was after the war.” She breathed out each part of her sentence.

Callum recalled back to a warm sunny day when they had been laughing together, talking about life after the war. She had confided in him that maybe if the world could change, she could change too. She hadn’t been sure where life would go. What her new dream was. But Callum had promised her that whatever happened next, they’d face it together. That day in the sun seemed so far away now.

“Y-Yeah?”

She paused soberly for a moment. Her free hand rose weakly up towards him and he leaned closer so she could touch his cheek. She was so close now he could almost feel her breath on his face. “…It’s you. It was always…. It was always you Callum. You were my new dream.”

Callum bit his trembling lip. “Rayla-…” He choked on her name. His mind raced. There were so many things he wanted to tell her. But he couldn’t find the words to say them. He settled on three.

_‘I love you.’_

But by the time he opened his mouth to respond, it was too late. Rayla’s body had stopped trembling, and went limp in his arms.  

No.

_No._

This wasn’t going to be the end. He wasn’t going to let it be. He still needed to tell her. With a shaking hand, he unravelled the scarf around his neck and wrapped it gently around her. Then, his hand cupped her cheek. It was warm around her eyes… had she been crying? He hadn’t noticed through his own tears. He brushed the tears in the corner of her eye softly, then leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead.

“Don’t cry.” He whispered. At that moment, he wasn’t really sure who he was talking to. “You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

 

\---

 

When Rayla woke, it was to two undeniable truths.

The first, was that she was alive.

Something that, she was considerably thankful for, if not mildly confused by. She had been so certain that she would draw her last breath in that moment, in Callum’s arms. And she had accepted that. Or at least, she had _prepared_ for it. But right now, she could feel each rattled breath, each dull ache in her battered body. No, she could say with some level of confidence, that she was alive.

The second, was that they weren’t in the forest anymore.

When she had opened her bleary eyes, instead of a sky framed by vibrant, treetop leaves, she had found herself staring at a dark, discoloured ceiling, framed by ancient wooden beams. Bright sunlight was pouring in through an old, cracked window, a little _too_ brightly for the young elf so soon after waking. 

She groaned, squeezing her eyes closed again, burying her face into something soft and warm around her neck. Something that felt familiar and comforting. Her brow knitted into a frown. Was this Callum’s scarf…? Why was she wearing his scarf?

 Her head was pounding. It was all too much. And then a voice prickled at her ears. A voice she did not recognise.

“Ah. So you’re finally awake then, hm?”

She heard the shuffling of parchment and turned her head to look. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she could make out the figure of a very tall elven man, a Skywing elf, with long black hair, half up in a ponytail. His back was to her, but he looked over his shoulder at her, bright gold eyes peering over half-moon spectacles. His wings were tucked away neatly in long extravagant looking midnight blue robes. Mage robes…?

But then, it was all too quiet. That was when Rayla realised a third undeniable truth. Callum _wasn’t_ there _._

Her stomach lurched, her heart skipped a beat. Where was he? Was he hurt? Captured by an elven patrol? Imprisoned? _Dead?_ The thought of that alone sent a lump of emotion catching in Rayla’s throat. No. He couldn’t be dead. Not after everything. She had been willing to die to save him, he, he _couldn’t-_

She jolted upright, and immediately regretted it. Her side screamed out at her in pain, and she involuntarily jerked in on herself and collapsed back onto the bed crying out in agony.

“Easy child! You’ll tear the stitches. Nobody wants that, I already had to mop up enough of your blood when you were brought in!” The older elf hissed through his teeth, scrambling to her side and placing a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from trying to sit up again, not that she would try.

The pain was still ringing through her entire body, sharp and excruciating. She had nearly forgotten how bad it had been. Maybe it had been the adrenaline at the time that had dulled the pain a little, but right now it felt as though her side had been torn open all over again. She hoped it hadn’t.

The Skywing elf furrowed his brow as she felt a slight pressure where she had been cut, as he placed his hand on the dressing. His expression was hard to read, but then he seemed content and gave a small nod of satisfaction. It seemed that she hadn’t reopened the wound. Thank goodness.

Eventually the pain ebbed away just enough for her to find strength to speak.

“Where’s Callum?” Her own voice was dry and cracked. How long had she been asleep? Days? Weeks? It felt like no time at all had passed. The knot of anxiety in her gut continued to tighten.

The elf scrunched up his nose for a moment. Then let out a deep sigh. “You mean that human boy? Relax. He’s fine. I sent him out to fetch some things I needed. You really did a number on my medical supplies.”

Rayla was silent. She hadn’t realised just how much tension she had been holding until she finally relaxed again. Her body groaned in protest for a moment, before the pain was manageable once more.

Callum was okay.

“I told him to make himself useful. That staring at you all day and night wasn’t going to make you heal any faster. He put up a lot of protest.” His voice was gruff, but softened slightly as he turned away from Rayla to return to the writing desk a few steps from the bed she was laying on. “Don’t worry, he’ll no doubt be back soon. He’s never gone from your side for long.”

She listened to the sound of scratching on parchment. Then, finally, she took in her surroundings. It would seem her judgements had been right about the Skywing elf, this was a mage’s tower if she had ever seen one. The room was circular, clearly a guest room of sorts, humbly furnished. She couldn’t see how high up they were, the window frame was too high from her position laying on the bed, but she speculated that they must have been at the top of the tower from the slant of the ceiling above her. It was almost like an attic that had been turned into a spare room. There were bookcases lined with tomes, old and new, and scrolls, some tied up neatly in piles, others unravelled and torn from use. It was cosy. A little dusty, but lived in.

Rayla shifted uncomfortably. However cosy it was, it couldn’t distract her from the lack of her most trusted companions. Zym seemed to have disappeared as well, but surely he was with Callum on whatever errand this elf had sent him on. Whoever he was.  But Xadia was full of dangers. Could Callum protect the little dragon by himself? Who was going to protect them both if not her?

She turned her attention back to the stranger, quill in hand fussing over a scroll on his desk.

“Wh-Who-“

“Aselen”

When Rayla didn’t respond, he continued. “That’s my name. This is my house.” He didn’t stop writing the entire time he spoke.

“Why?”

“Hm?”

Rayla let in a shaky breath. “Why did you help us?”

The scratching of his quill stopped. He didn’t reply right away. For a moment, it seemed like he didn’t know how.

Then, slowly, he turned back to face Rayla. “Well... I saw two children struggling in a rainstorm, covered in blood. And yes. One of those children was a human.” His eyebrows knit together in a frown at the word. “Perhaps, for a moment, it had crossed my mind to kill him. But. He looked so scared. And he was staggering about carrying you to my door, and who was I to kill a mere child and leave another to die?” His gaze softened as he folded his hands behind his back and looked out the window. “Besides. It was very brave… commendable even what he did. He clearly knew that whoever owned this tower could very well strike him down without batting an eyelid. But he was so desperate. Desperate to save you. A human saving an elf. I suppose it warmed my heart a little. And left me curious as to why.”

He paused again, as though to give Rayla a chance to speak, but she listened quietly. They had been so far away from anything. From any structures as far as the eyes could see. How far had he carried her? The rain couldn’t have made it easy, it was hard enough running without slipping over constantly from those guards.

“I think he loves you, very much.”

Rayla stiffened and she felt a heat rise to her cheeks, and then to her ears.

“My apologies. I suppose I shouldn’t assume. Though I might add that from the moment he arrived here he has tried to spend every second he has by you. Had he not been constantly getting under foot and in the way, perhaps I would have let him…”Aselen scratched at his chin and shook his head. Then, he smiled, a somewhat crooked, but warm and friendly smile. “I believe I may be talking your ears off a little, young one. This is what happens when you live a life of solitude. Try and get some rest. I’m sure your friend will be here again soon.”

 

\---

 

Sleep came surprisingly easy given how much Rayla’s body ached and twinged from the various injuries she had sustained. Maybe, easily wasn’t the right word. _Quickly_. She had dozed off _quickly_. But it was a fitful slumber, haunted by images of what had happened. The Captain’s face sneered at her through broken nightmares, as she snapped awake at the slightest sound, only to drift away again minutes later.

_Callum was certainly taking his time_ she had thought to herself after what she had vaguely registered as sleep. She scrunched the material of her blanket into a ball in her fist. _What if something happened? What if he was hurt? Would Aselen go check on him? And what about Zym?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as her ear twitched at another sound. A door unlatching and creaking open a few floors down, before closing with a quiet clang. Then she heard voices. Muffled, but recognisable. There was Aselen, talking quietly and calmly, and then her heart lurched.

Callum’s voice. He was back.

She strained to hear what they were saying, but the sound was muffled by floorboards and doors. At one point however, she did hear a strained; _“She woke up!?”_ from Callum then a sharp shushing noise from Aeslen, before the talking returned to hushed tones.

She felt her hand rise slowly to his scarf and she closed her eyes again. A smile crept onto her lips. Two sets of footsteps ascended the staircase, along with the gentle _‘thu-dumps’_ of a clumsy baby dragon trailing behind. Then slowly, the door creaked open. She kept her eyes closed.

It was quiet, but she could hear Aeslen enter first, with Zym bumbling about at his feet chirping quietly. She could hear his cloak sweep across the floorboards easier to make out than his light footsteps. He stopped just a few feet from her bed.

Callum didn’t move from the doorway for a while, but she could feel him staring at her. She wondered why he was hesitating right now. What was going through his mind?

She heard Zym fumble over to the side of the bed, and something wet and sparky lapped at the palm of her hand.

She giggled. She couldn’t hold it in, Zym’s “zappy kisses” as Ezran had called them once tickled too much for her not to react. Zym chirped questioningly up at her, and she cracked open an eye at the little dragon, who was now so excited in that moment to see his friend awake again that he startled waggling his entire body on the spot, unable to contain his excitement. She gave the dragon prince a gentle scratch under the chin.

“…Rayla?” Callum’s voice cracked on her name, his eyes glassy, and one hand over his heart, the other reaching out faintly towards her.

Tears prickled at the corners of Rayla’s own eyes as she smiled affectionately back at him, raising a hand weakly to wave. “Hey Sad Prince.”

 

\---

 

It had taken all of Callum’s restraint not to simply drop the herbs and other items he and Zym had collected on the countertop near Aeslen’s front door and dash immediately back upstairs to Rayla’s bedside. Unfortunately, his reunion with his beloved best friend would be delayed, as Aeslen stood blocking the path to the stairway.

“Ah good. You’re back. You can put those in the kitchen.”

Zym trotted up beside Callum, his mouth full of medicinal flowers. He looked quite pleased with himself, puffing out his little chest proudly as he gazed up at the human prince for validation.

“Yeah, I think this is everything you needed right? It was kind of hard to tell what was what, and uh, well,” After carefully placing the ingredients on the kitchen table, He took off his fingerless gloves and raised his hands up for Aeslen to see. They were covered in small abrasions and red patches.

Aeslen raised an eyebrow. Then, slowly, a look of understanding fell across his face. “You mistook the Rotivy for the Redweed, didn’t you?” The bemused expression on Callum’s face must have given away that he had no idea what the man was talking about.

Aeslen simply sighed and rolled his eyes. “You’ll be fine. Here.” He tossed the boy a small glass bottle, which Callum fumbled to catch. “That’ll take care of the redness.”

As Callum tended to his wounds with a quiet “Thank you,” Aeslen collected the samples from Zym, and began sorting through what Callum had brought.

“Hm… Yes. This will do.”

“You can use this to help Rayla?” The words fell from Callum’s mouth without him thinking. Aeslen pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose.

“No, I can use this to replace the supplies I _used_ to save your friend.”

Callum fell quiet, his fingers tapping nervously against his sketchbook satchel. He glanced eagerly to the staircase.

“Oh relax, would you? Good lords, I can see why you two are friends. You’re both so one track minded when it comes to each other.”

Callum’s brain stalled. What? How would Aeslen know that? “What do you mean?”

“Oh, just while you were out earlier she woke up and wouldn’t stop ask-“

“ _She woke up?!_ ” The words came out a lot louder than Callum had meant, and Aeslen spun on his heel hissing through his teeth.

“ _Shhh!_ _Inside_ voices! Your friend needs rest!”

Callum recoiled, feeling sheepish. “I- I’m… Sorry, it’s just… Can I go see her now? Please. I promise I’ll be quiet.”

Aeslen glared at him for long enough to make Callum worry that he would reject the idea. Then he let out a defeated sigh. “I suppose so. But if she wakes up, try not to agitate her too much. She nearly undid all my work earlier on that nasty gash on her side. She still needs time to heal properly.”

Callum nodded stiffly. Rayla wasn’t going to like being cooped up in here for however long it would take for her to recover. His mind flashed to the moment he had held her in his arms, his hands covered in blood desperately trying to ease the bleeding. To him carrying her through the forest in his arms, every second bringing her closer to crossing a threshold she could never come back from.

He swallowed hard. She had been at death’s door.  The kind of toll that had on her, both physically and mentally… it would likely take weeks for her to fully recover. Did they even have that kind of time?

He had been so lost in his thoughts, that he hadn’t even realised he had been trailing up the stairs behind Aeslen until Zym chirped and brushed past his leg to enter the room.

Callum’s breath caught in his throat. She looked so serene. Regardless, he felt a pang of disappointment in his heart. She was asleep again. He didn’t want to wake her up, especially if Aeslen said she needed rest. And so he stood there, unsure of himself, his mind battling his heart.

Aeslen’s words, however, didn’t seem to stop Zym, who padded around the room curiously, before scampering to Rayla’s side. He peeked over his shoulder back at Callum with a lopsided dragony grin. Callum put a finger sharply to his lips to signal to the dragon to be quiet, a message completely lost on the baby prince. He turned back, sniffing at Rayla’s fingers before licking the palm of her hand.

Callum’s stomach did backflips and released butterflies into his chest when he heard a giggle. A hand wavered up to his thumping heart. And he watched, tears brimming in his eyes as Rayla’s own cracked open. The violet of her eyes, oh how he had missed that colour. So alive, so bright, and so comforting. It had been too long since he had seen those eyes. He had feared a few times in the forest he would never seem them again.

“…Rayla?” His eyes were misting over as his voice cracked on her name.

She turned slowly, and smiled gently back at him as she pet the baby dragon at the side of her bed. Her hand raised ever so slowly to greet him. “Hey Sad Prince.”

Callum’s face broke out into a smile so wide it hurt his cheeks, and he tore forward desperately to get to her, his arms wide ready to embrace her. He didn’t make it before he was suddenly yanked backwards by something snagging the scruff of his jacket.

“What did I _literally_ just say?” Aeslen glowered. Callum huffed irritably, and caught a scowling look from Rayla at the man. The older mage’s face softened. “Look, I’m just saying, unless you want to cause grievous bodily harm to your dear companion, just be gentle with her.”

Callum’s muscles relaxed a little. His voice was soft, as his eyes trailed back to Rayla. “Okay.”

Aeslen’s fist released the fabric of Callum’s shirt and he took a few more tentative steps forward. “Alright, shall we try that again?” His face cracked back into a shy grin.

Rayla chuckled again under her breath, and smiled warmly back up to him. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Callum slowly lowered himself down onto his knees, Zym scampered with a cheerful squeak to the side, and watched as Rayla shuffled carefully supporting herself on one elbow. He caught her wince in pain for a moment and instinctively reached out to place his hand supportively on her back. Then, ever so softly, he pulled her towards him.

Rayla wrapped her free arm delicately around his shoulders, and gave him as strong a squeeze as she could muster. He felt her bury her face in his jacket and they stayed like that for a while, just holding each other as close as they could.

Where she had been so cold before, she was so warm in his arms this time. Callum sighed softly into the scarf still wrapped snugly around Rayla’s neck.

“I thought I was going to lose you.”

Rayla’s hand trailed up his back to his head and he felt her brush her fingers gently through his hair.

“I’ll be honest,” Her voice was gentle and soothing. “I thought I was going to lose me too.”

At Callum’s feet, Zym yipped, and he felt the dragon climb up onto the bed, tail wagging, as he clambered across Rayla’s legs to sit cuddled up to the other side of the elf.

Behind them, Aeslen sighed. “I’ll give you both a moment to catch up and whatnot. If you need me I’ll be in my study brewing the ingredients you brought me.”  And with that he turned, and with a sweep of his cloak he began to trail back down the stairs.

 

\---

 

“What happened to your hands?” Rayla’s brow furrowed in concern as she laid back down on the bed, her hand cupped either side by Callum’s own. They weren’t bleeding, but she could still make out the dozens of tiny cuts all over his fingers. What had he been doing? Clumsy human. She’d only been gone for-

…Wait.

Callum simply chuckled. “It’s alright, there was just a bit of an accident while I was picking supplies for Aeslen. They’ll be fine, just a few scratches.”

Rayla’s concern didn’t drop from her face, but she did give his hand a gentle squeeze. “Callum…”

The smile faltered from Callum’s face.  “What’s wrong?”

She was quiet for a moment, her gaze shifting to the window. Birds sung softly outside. How she longed for the freedom they had. “…Callum how long was I out for?” 

She heard Callum shift uncomfortably. “We got here in the evening… And then you spent two days asleep. Then you woke up this afternoon.” He rubbed his thumb softly over the back of her hand. “I-It…It was scary, honestly.” She glanced back at the prince, and felt Zym curl up into the crook of her arm. Even the usually cheerful dragon seemed subdued.

Callum’s eyes were focused on a spot on the wall beside her, lost in thought. “When we first got here, Aeslen said you might not make it. A-And… The thought of that, it just…” It was uncomfortably quiet for a moment. She could feel Callum’s hands tense and tremble.

No matter how hard Rayla thought, she couldn’t find the right words to say. “I’m really sorry, Callum.” His eyes glanced back to lock with her own. Sad hazel eyes. Too sad. She tried to shoot him a comforting smile. “But, I’m still here. You don’t think you can get rid of me that easily do you? I guarantee you, give me another day or two, and I’ll be back on my feet, ready to go! Then we can continue getting this wee lil’ one home.”

Zym rumbled what sounded like a small purr of agreement against her side, his eyes closing sleepily as she ruffled the tufts of fur between his horns.

Callum’s hands relaxed a little but the pained expression on his face didn’t entirely waver. Subconsciously, he raised her hand ever so slowly up towards his face and rested his chin on his knuckles.

“Rayla… Can you promise me something? Please?”

“Anything.”

“Please don’t throw your life away for me.” His voice softened. “Please. You’re always so quick to discard your life at any moment and… It scares me. I don’t want this to happen again. I don’t want you to think your life is worth less than mine. I-I-,” His voice cracked, and he clenched his eyes shut tight, tears forming in their corners. He inhaled a trembling breath. “I can’t lose you.”

Rayla felt her heart tighten and she was immediately thrown back to that moment, that awful, terrifying moment, where she had thought Callum would die. She had held him so desperately close, begged him not to leave her. Because in that moment, she had realised just how much she loved him. How much he meant to her. How, just maybe, they could do anything together.

She didn’t want to do anything without him in her life.

Guilt panged in her stomach. How could she have been so foolish? Their friendship was a two-way street, she had been so willing to die for him that she had lost sight of how much that would kill him regardless.

Her life _wasn’t_ worth less, because it was worth something to Callum.

“R-Rayla?”

Rayla snapped out of her stupor, heat stinging her cheeks as she realised she had been staring wordlessly at an emotional Callum. Then, quietly, she spoke.

“I promise. Under one condition. You promise not to keep putting yourself in harm’s way either. I would die for you. I _would_. But, _for_ you, I’ll try not to, because I guess that wouldn’t end well for either of us.” She gave his hand another affectionate squeeze. “I want to live. To see the kind of world we can build together.” 

That set Callum off. Tears streamed from his eyes, but he was smiling now. Half laughing. He rubbed his face on his arm, and raised her hand up again, this time to his mouth and she felt him press his lips against her knuckles tenderly.

Rayla let him, then uncurled her fingers from Callum’s hand to brush her fingers across his face until she was cupping his still slightly damp cheek. He held her hand there, leaning into her touch, and sighed.

“…Rayla? Did you mean what you said before?”

“When?” Somehow she already had a feeling she knew, and she wasn’t really sure why she had asked.

“In the forest. About me… being your new dream?”

Rayla chuckled gently, her eyes never leaving his. “With all my heart.”

Callum shuffled closer. “…Good.” He closed the distance between them slowly, timidly, and Rayla was sure she felt her heart stop for a moment. She closed her eyes as he planted a gentle kiss on her lips, and when he pulled away he pressed his forehead to hers, a smile in his voice.

“Because you’re my new dream too.”  

**Author's Note:**

> Wow what a doozy! This ended up WAAAY longer than I first intended, especially given I haven't really done any creative writing in years. I figured it'd maybe end up 2000 words but then I couldn't stop writing haha!  
> Anyway please leave a Kudos and comments if you enjoyed! I have some ideas for a long term multi-chapter fic so if I know you guys like my stuff it'll be a huge confidence boost! <3 
> 
> A special thanks to Lindsey/kirishimaaaaaaa on tumblr for helping inspire this idea, from a little back and forth we had! (The idea was based off a scene in Tangled, you might have noticed haha)  
> And also a huge thanks to Nay, my dear friend who helped me proof read and edit this! 
> 
> You guys are great! I'm excited to write more in the future!


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